Several shops in the Western region reopened for business on Monday morning after the State government eased COVID-19 lockdown restriction.
Almost all shops barring those dealing in textiles, readymade garments, jewellery and those in malls and shopping complexes pulled up their shutters on the day.
People queued up in front of shops selling mobile phones, clocks, watches, fancy goods, home appliances, utensils among others. Automobile showrooms and shops selling spare parts also saw good business on day one. Hairdressers, beauty parlours and spas also welcomed customers with many taking bookings over phone to prevent the presence of more than the permitted number of people.
The districts also saw very high vehicle movement as private companies were allowed to operate with 50% attendance.
In Coimbatore, shops on Cross Cut Road, 100 Feet Road, D.B. Road, Trichy Road, Dr. Nanjappa Road, Mill Road, N.H. Road and those at Oppanakara Street, Edayar Street, Raja Street, Big Bazaar Street, turned into beehive as shopkeepers were busy restocking goods and customers queuing up to buy goods that they could not in the last one month.
The automobile spare parts market near the Old Bus Stand and on Meyannur main road, and two-wheeler showrooms in Salem saw brisk business. However, small eateries remained closed fearing lack of business. In Erode, about 50,000 power looms that employs over one lakh workers, both directly and indirectly, resumed their operations with 33% of the workforce after seven weeks.